Girish Chandra Murmu, who had resigned as the Lieutenant General of Jammu and Kashmir, has been appointed as the new Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India. He will succeed the Rajiv Mehrishi, who will retire after turning 65 this week.The post of Comptroller and Auditor General was expected to fall vacant on August 8, the day when Mehrishi turns 65. It cannot be left unoccupied since it is a constitutional post.Murmu had abruptly resigned as the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday. Former Union Miniser Manoj Sinha has been appointed as Murmu's successor for the post, the President's office informed earlier today.

Murmu's resignation had come on the first anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution, a move that ended the state's special status and carved it into two union territories. He was the first Lieutenant Governor of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Since his resignation, speculations were being made that he could be named the next CAG.

Murmu, a 60-year-old former IAS officer of the Gujarat cadre, had taken oath as the first Lieutenant Governor of the union territory of J&K on October 29 last year. Earlier in his career, he has served as Principal Secretary to Narendra Modi during the latter's tenure as Gujarat CM.

After Modi became the Prime Minister of the country, Murmu was shifted to the Ministry of Finance and was holding the office of Expenditure Secretary when he was appointed as Lieutenant Governor.